Food52 Review: WHO: fiveandspice is a Boston-based food studies doctoral student with a host of hobbies.
WHAT: A thin-crusted pizza with serious kick from freshly ground pepper, Grana Padano, and roasted radishes.
HOW: The slow-risen dough couldn't be easier, and assembling the pizza is a matter of piling on a few toppings.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The textural contrast of salty cheese, tender radishes, and crusty bread make this pizza irresistible. As fiveandspice says, it's the perfect accompaniment to a "big old arugula salad." - The Editors

Makes 2 pizzas

Pizza dough

1 1/2cups warm water (around 105F)

1teaspoon active dry yeast

2tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4teaspoons salt

3 3/4cups (or so) all purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast and allow to stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the olive oil and salt and enough flour to make a sticky dough (a bit over 3 cups). Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. (This can also be done in a stand mixer with the dough hook, but I find it really satisfying to knead pizza dough by hand.)

Shape the dough into a ball and put into an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. (you can also just let it rise at room temp. for 2 hours, but the flavor is infinitely improved by a slow rise in the fridge)

The pizza

2 bunches of radishes

salt

olive oil

2cups grated Grana Padano

3/4cup grated Pecorino

2teaspoons freshly grated black pepper

risen pizza dough (from above)

Preheat your oven to 425F. Remove the tops and tips and slice the radishes into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Toss them with a bit of olive oil and salt in a baking pan. Put them into the oven and roast until they’re soft and starting to get a little golden in spots, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Put a pizza stone in the oven and turn the heat up to 475F and allow to preheat for at least 30 minutes, while you shred the cheese and get the pizzas ready. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, just turn the heat up and bake the pizzas on baking sheets.)

Divide the dough in half. On a well floured surface, roll one dough half out into a circle that’s only about 1/8 inch thick. You can do this with your hands if you’re skilled like that, but I used a rolling pin. Transfer to a pizza peel (or baking sheet) that is generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush all over with olive oil. Top with half of each type of cheese and radish slices to your liking. Sprinkle half the pepper over the top.

Transfer into the oven onto the baking stone. Bake until the crust is golden and lightly blistered and the cheese is completely melted, about 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and put on a cutting board.

mmmm...just finished this pizza during a lazy sunday lunch by the pool. i adore all radishes but many of our guests usually don't like them. this recipe more than converted a few friends and a picky eight year old as well! thank you five and spice.

Oh I am SO happy to hear that!!! Isn't it the best feeling when you convince someone to try something they think they don't like and they find they actually do like it? So, way to go you! Thank you so much for letting me know. And, I hope the rest of your day was as lazy and lovely as a luncheon by the pool sounds!

Well then I can't thank you enough cookingProf!!! I'm so glad you loved the pizza. And, that you've embraced the slow-rise dough. :) I've been making it that way for over a decade now, ever since the technique was introduced to me by a college boyfriend. (some recipes just last longer than relationships...)

Here's a little irony for you--I always thought that slow-rise-in-the-refrigerator was an old Scandinavian technique and had figured you'd adapted a Norwegian recipe for the pizza dough.

I have a family recipe for a Swedish cardamom "refrigerator coffee bread" that calls of the same slow rise. It's attributed to my great grandmother, and one of my aunts published it in a Worcester, Massachusetts newspaper in 1953. (Worcester still has a lot of people with Swedish backgrounds.)

Oh, now that is too funny! Nope, this technique is from a very non-Norwegian source! I do know there are some Scandinavian baked goods - particularly sweet ones - that use a slow rise, though actually none of the ones I was taught growing up do. Hmm, I wonder if back in the day they didn't really do the slow rise on purpose, it was just too cold to get things to rise fast, hehe...

Congratulations! I'm usually clueless about what will be finalists, but I had a feeling about this one. After living in Korea, my husband won't eat radishes, but I keep thinking of slipping this into a mix.

That's fantastic! I'm so, so happy you guys loved it! When I made it, my husband and I very nearly demolished to two pies ourselves. There were only, like, 2 slices leftover, so I know where you're coming from. :) Thanks for letting me know!!!